Wednesday, November 08, 2006

WARNING: Mike Is Naked...

Actually to "see" me naked you had to go to our Thailand website before they blocked that picture but I'm feeling naked in a different sense now. Yesterday I took an online psychological test to determine my personality, specifically looking at my strengths. Yes...it was work related. My manager gets all new employees to take it. The result was scary. I think most of you will laugh reading these (especially my parents) because I think it describes me perfectly.

Strategic
The Strategic theme enables you to sort through the clutter and find the best route. It is not a skill that can be taught. It is a distinct way of thinking, a special perspective on the world at large. This perspective allows you to see patterns where others simply see complexity. Mindful of these patterns, you play out alternative scenarios, always asking, "What if this happened? Okay, well what if this happened?" This recurring question helps you see around the next corner. There you can evaluate accurately the potential obstacles. Guided by where you see each path leading, you start to make selections. You discard the paths that lead nowhere. You discard the paths that lead straight into resistance. You discard the paths that lead into a fog of confusion. You cull and make selections until you arrive at the chosen path-your strategy. Armed with your strategy, you strike forward. This is your Strategic theme at work: "What if?" Select. Strike.

Positivity
You are generous with praise, quick to smile, and always on the lookout for the positive in the situation. Some call you lighthearted. Others just wish that their glass were as full as yours seems to be. But either way, people want to be around you. Their world looks better around you because your enthusiasm is contagious. Lacking your energy and optimism, some find their world drab with repetition or, worse, heavy with pressure. You seem to find a way to lighten their spirit. You inject drama into every project. You celebrate every achievement. You find ways to make everything more exciting and more vital. Some cynics may reject your energy, but you are rarely dragged down. Your Positivity won't allow it. Somehow you can't quite escape your conviction that it is good to be alive, that work can be fun, and that no matter what the setbacks, one must never lose one's sense of humor.

Relator
Relator describes your attitude toward your relationships. In simple terms, the Relator theme pulls you toward people you already know. You do not necessarily shy away from meeting new people-in fact, you may have other themes that cause you to enjoy the thrill of turning strangers into friends-but you do derive a great deal of pleasure and strength from being around your close friends. You are comfortable with intimacy. Once the initial connection has been made, you deliberately encourage a deepening of the relationship. You want to understand their feelings, their goals, their fears, and their dreams; and you want them to understand yours. You know that this kind of closeness implies a certain amount of risk-you might be taken advantage of-but you are willing to accept that risk. For you a relationship has value only if it is genuine. And the only way to know that is to entrust yourself to the other person. The more you share with each other, the more you risk together. The more you risk together, the more each of you proves your caring is genuine. These are your steps toward real friendship, and you take them willingly.

Communication
You like to explain, to describe, to host, to speak in public, and to write. This is your Communication theme at work. Ideas are a dry beginning. Events are static. You feel a need to bring them to life, to energize them, to make them exciting and vivid. And so you turn events into stories and practice telling them. You take the dry idea and enliven it with images and examples and metaphors. You believe that most people have a very short attention span. They are bombarded by information, but very little of it survives. You want your information-whether an idea, an event, a product's features and benefits, a discovery, or a lesson-to survive. You want to divert their attention toward you and then capture it, lock it in. This is what drives your hunt for the perfect phrase. This is what draws you toward dramatic words and powerful word combinations. This is why people like to listen to you. Your word pictures pique their interest, sharpen their world, and inspire them to act.

Futuristic
"Wouldn't it be great if . . ." You are the kind of person who loves to peer over the horizon. The future fascinates you. As if it were projected on the wall, you see in detail what the future might hold, and this detailed picture keeps pulling you forward, into tomorrow. While the exact content of the picture will depend on your other strengths and interests-a better product, a better team, a better life, or a better world-it will always be inspirational to you. You are a dreamer who sees visions of what could be and who cherishes those visions. When the present proves too frustrating and the people around you too pragmatic, you conjure up your visions of the future and they energize you. They can energize others, too. In fact, very often people look to you to describe your visions of the future. They want a picture that can raise their sights and thereby their spirits. You can paint it for them. Practice. Choose your words carefully. Make the picture as vivid as possible. People will want to latch on to the hope you bring.

So I guess that's me. What do you think? Did they get it right? And to Rocky "the faithful reader/critic" Eldridge, here's a post all about me.

8 Comments:

At 11/08/2006 1:45 p.m., Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, I would say that describes you half decently, It doesn't however, make any reference to your evil nemisis Rocky, I mean I guess it kind of does but I don't really think I am the cynical person that despises you and wishes my glass were as full as you think yours is. You are overlooking things pull your glass off the pedestile and look at it from eye level. I think you will be quite disappointed to find that it is nearly empty. I mean if your looking up at it, the glass always looks like theres lots in it. Also, it is for the most part just piss anyway, so drink up if you like.

Yours Truly,
*Rockstar*

 
At 11/08/2006 3:35 p.m., Blogger Mike said...

I think I'm winning. Rocky's comments are making less and less sense. He's struggling to make fun of me but he just can't anymore. Mike-1 Rocky-0.

 
At 11/08/2006 4:32 p.m., Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh boy... you've turned this into a winning losing thing and from my experience, Rocky doesn't take well to losing.
Let the Games Begin!!!!

(you boys provide me with much entertainment throughout the days... and I thank you for that)

 
At 11/08/2006 5:07 p.m., Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mike I believe you are wrong on this one. I believe it was a beauty. It was one of my better ones and to be completely honest Its not a competition. I mean I am not cutting to be mean and to win I am doing it for sheer entertainment. Winning is something I do with the snap of my fingers and I must say it is quite ballsy for you to outright say I lost thats just asking for punishment. I apologize for the comment being over your head you were probably just being way to "strategic" about the situation and asking yourself "What if this happened? Okay, well what if this happened?" and got yourself all confused. I am sorry that it has come to this micheal if you need me to explain give me a call. HA HA in fact I am going to give myself two for this one and hope you can accept that. To explain. You are looking up through the glass making it appear fuller then it is. To help you with these ideas and "bring them to life, to energize them, to make them exciting and vivid" put a glass with just a bit of water in it and look straight up through it now put a glass with 3/4 water in it and take a look through it. see any similarities. exactly my point. So from now on Mike "Choose your words carefully. Make the picture as vivid as possible" and please do not pick fights with me or your "Futuristic" imagination will be stuck picturing your seemingly full glass broken at which point you will be stuck swimming in what seems to you a bottomless pit of fluid while really it is just a few drops.

Thanks again

ROCKY - Kicking Mike's ass since 2002!! Rocky 2 - Mike 0

 
At 11/08/2006 11:04 p.m., Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think you guys are both loosing something, its called a life, get one.

 
At 11/09/2006 8:20 a.m., Blogger Mike said...

In our Wednesday morning drilling meeting there was a dispute over the number of territories in our great country. Everyone agreed there were only 3 but one superintendent argued that Labrador was the 4th territory. After the meeting I decided to resolve the dispute. A series of emails to the whole drilling department ensued:

Mike:I did some quick research to put this dispute behind us. Labrador IS part of Newfoundland. In fact, on Dec 6, 2001 an amendment was made to the Constitution of Canada to change the province's official name to "Newfoundland and Labrador" even though most of us still just call it Newfoundland. From Wikipedia, "Possession of Labrador was disputed by Quebec and Newfoundland until 1927, when the British privy council demarcated the western boundary, enlarged Labrador's land area, and confirmed Newfoundland's title to it."

Superintendent: Mike you should be doing work related stuff while at work save the fun and games for at home.

Mike: Ooh…the truth hurts.

Rocky (my boss): Nice thorough and complete work!

 
At 11/09/2006 1:35 p.m., Anonymous Anonymous said...

Terry, all that I am concerned about is that you talk me up a little that is what will help me the most right now. LOL. Havea good day terry and its not that i dont have a life its just that my job leaves me with oppurtunity to do this with mike and its kind of amusing give us some credit.

Rocky

 
At 11/09/2006 1:43 p.m., Blogger Unknown said...

I was thoroughly amused. And I do like the glass analogy, Rocky, and you're right, I think it was a little too "deep" for Mike's straight A brain. Ha ha!

 

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